This intriguing painting by Busby shows a Moorland Landscape with incredible unique colours. The picture may initially appear abstract, but upon closer inspection of the details, it is revealed to be a close portrayal of a real moorland area. Busby was a committed life-drawing artist who paid considerable attention to the natural world.  

John Busby RSW RSA, 1928-2015

John Busby was a renowned landscape and wildlife artist. Born in Bradford, he was educated at Leeds College of Art and later at Edinburgh College of Art, where he received multiple scholarships that enabled him to travel to France and Italy. After returning to Edinburgh, he became a faculty member at the college, teaching drawing and painting from 1956 to 1988. In 1989, Busby established an annual Seabird Drawing course in North Berwick. He also collaborated on various projects with the Artists for Nature Foundation worldwide. One of his most notable commissions was the mural Christ in Glory at the Scottish Episcopal Church, St. Columba’s-by-the-Castle in Edinburgh, a work influenced by his Christian faith and the impressions he gathered during his travels. Busby also illustrated numerous books on a variety of animals and created vibrant landscape paintings that spanned a range of styles, from representational to abstract. His work was widely exhibited both nationally and internationally. Busby was a member of the Royal Scottish Academy of Arts and Architecture and the Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour. He served as president of the Society of Scottish Artists from 1976 to 1979 and was a founding member of the Society of Wildlife Artists. Also a passionate birdwatcher and naturalist throughout his life, Busby was named Master Wildlife Artist by the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum in Wisconsin, USA, in 2009.